Anaheim still loves Ohtani amid trade rumors, but Angels stumble in return from All-Star break

ANAHEIM, Calif. — Los Angeles Angels manager Phil Nevin made it clear that a Friday night win over the Houston Astros would not solve all of his injury-riddled team’s issues.

“We’re not going to make up this big deficit that we’ve acquired over the last two weeks,” Nevin said before Friday’s game. “We’re not going to make it up tonight. But we’ve got to play better baseball for us to have a chance for those things.”

In front of a sizable crowd at Angel Stadium, the Angels only fell further into their under .500 hole — despite Shohei Ohtani’s best efforts. The Astros defeated the Angels, 7-5, in the first game back from the All-Star break. But the Angels’ abysmal 45-47 record — good for six games back of the last wild-card spot — may not even be the biggest storyline that surrounds the team.

Although the Angels have given zero indication of any desire to trade Ohtani, that didn’t stop both players and fans from openly courting Ohtani in Seattle at the All-Star Game. The MLB trade deadline on August 1 is just on the horizon.

“Come to Se-at-tle!” chants rang out from Mariners fans during the ASG when Ohtani was up to bat. Mets pitcher and fellow countryman Kodai Senga, through a translator, joked about putting his Mets cap on Ohtani’s head.

“I’ve never experienced anything like that, but I definitely heard it,” Ohtani said about the Seattle chants through translator Ippei Muzahara.

But Angels fans are showing Ohtani as much love as they can, and for however long they can. Ohtani still receives the loudest cheers out of the entire Angels roster, especially since star teammate Mike Trout is still recovering from a fractured wrist that’ll keep him out of the lineup for the foreseeable future. Ohtani’s jersey is the most represented throughout the stadium. Pockets of “MVP” chants broke out across Angel Stadium whenever the star was up to bat.

“The Angels fans come to watch the Angels because they love the team and [Ohtani] wants to perform the best for them and, like he said, there is stuff that he can control and that he can’t control, and whatever he can control, he wants to do his best at it,” Ohtani said at the All-Star Game.

Ohtani pitched five innings on Friday and allowed five runs, four earned off five hits to go with seven strikeouts. He ended his night with a 3.50 ERA. He opted out of pitching in the ASG earlier in the week due to a blister. Ohtani left the mound at the top of the sixth inning after issuing his third walk of the game to Astros left fielder Corey Julks.

“I saw something not right after [Ohtani] walked [Julks], so I wanted to check on him. He mentioned that the finger was a little sensitive,” Nevin said in his explanation of taking Ohtani out.

Ohtani, after putting on a shin guard, ended up staying in the game as a designated hitter. In five at-bats, Ohtani had two hits and one run.

Ohtani’s blistered hand is something to monitor. And keeping him in Anaheim isn’t an overarching solution for the Angels’ issues, but for now his presence is enough to at least keep fans in the seats.